Micah Kiser, Virginia: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Jon Dove
Virginia’s Micah Kiser is an experienced and well-known linebacker prospect who is a little overrated by many evaluators.
Micah Kiser features good size and bulk for the position. He isn’t in the mold of the smaller linebackers we have seen enter the league recently. Kiser has a thicker build that should allow him to absorb contact and remain healthy.
Despite his bigger frame, Kizer still has good quickness and the short-area burst to close on the ball carrier. His speed is something that also shows up when he’s asked to drop in coverage.
In fact, he is a very good coverage linebacker who plays with feel and balance. Kiser is committed to keeping his pads down and head on a swivel. This allows him to identify the developing routes and break on the football.
He has shown the ability to pull down an interception from time to time. The ability to hold up in coverage is something every NFL team covets in a linebacker.
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Kiser is an average run defender who can deliver big hits and make sound tackles. However, he has trouble keeping clean and navigating through traffic. Some of this has to do with his slow reads and reaction time.
He has a tendency stand still off the snap which allows the blockers to get into his frame. Kiser will also make poor reads which include filling the wrong hole.
The biggest concern is that he just doesn’t make enough wow or impact plays. He’s not someone who routinely makes tackles behind the line of scrimmage nor generates turnovers. Kiser is more of that linebacker who cleans things up several yards down field.
One explanation for his struggles might be the fact that Virginia’s defensive line is often overmatched. Kiser doesn’t have much time to read and react before a lineman is in his face. There are a lot of linebackers who find their success because the defensive line occupies blockers.
His speed and solid size give Kiser upside as an NFL player. It also helps that he shows well in coverage. However, he must find a way to make more impact plays. Kiser would help his stock if he improved his ability to stack and shed in the hole.